Heartbreaker
by Neptune47
Summary: Man...how many women has Batman dated?
1. Cheetahs Never Prosper

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Title: Heartbreaker 

By Neptune

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Summary: Man, how many women has Batman dated?

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AN: This was supposed to be a little ditty for Valentine's day over at the JLA Universe boards, but it did really get finished in time…so it's another on going story. I swear…all of these will get finished!

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Chapter 1: Cheetah's Never Prosper

***

He expertly threw the bolas across the road. The metal balls torqued around the legs of his target, tripping her. He extracted the batcuffs and ran, attempting to reach her while she was still immobilized.

Cheetah, living up to her name, quickly clawed apart the rope with her fingers. Rolling slightly on her back, she was able to brace him with her legs and use his own momentum to propel him over her body. She rolled and pounced on top of him when he landed on his back. "Don't I get a kiss?" she purred as she pounded his fisted hand into the ground, making him release the cuffs.

"I'm taking you back to Blackgate."

She slammed both his fists into the concrete again. "As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm on top here. And you're in no position to be making threats." The distant whining of GCPD sirens became audible, causing her ears to perk up. "I'm sorry we don't have time to play, lover," she said, leaning in close to his face. Her tongue darted out and she dragged it slowly from the bottom of his chin up to where his cowl met the skin of his cheek, "but I've got other appointments to keep." She gave his face one more lick before raising her fist above it.

Before she could pound him into unconsciousness, she was jerked upwards. Batman recognized the golden rope that now suspended Cheetah above the ground. "Consider your schedule cleared for the next twenty years." He recognized that voice too.

"I didn't realize you people traveled in packs," Cheetah said, tearing at the lasso. 

"Don't bother," Diana told her, pulling the rope more securely, "it's indestructible. You, however, are not."

"An empty threat, Wonder Woman. I think you're full of it."

The princess raised her eyebrows, before swinging the lasso upwards and allowing her fist to meet Cheetah's face. "Never insult the honor of an Amazon," Diana told the unconscious girl as she lowered her to the ground in front of a now standing Batman.

"I was handling it," he told her gruffly.

"I could see that. She looked very intimidated." Loosening her lasso from Cheetah's prone form, Diana reattached it to her waist. "What should we do with her?

He retrieved the batcuffs and latched them onto Cheetah's paws. He then wiped his cheek, which was still streaked with her saliva. "The police will be here soon. They can take it from here. We should go."

Shooting off his grapple, he flew upwards and into the shadows of the closest rooftop. She followed and landed next to him in the darkness. Looking back to the street, they saw two police cars pull up to the sidewalk they'd been standing on moments ago. The still unconscious Cheetah was loaded into the back of one car by two lieutenants.

"Are you sure they'll be able to handle her?"

"I tranquilized her. She'll be out for hours."

"I didn't see you do that."

"I was subtle."

"You usually are." Diana turned to face her companion. "Why was she here?"

He pointed to the building next to them. The police had begun taping it off. "Jason Blood lives there."

"Blood? As in Etrigan the demon?"

"You remember."

"He's a hard person to forget. What did she want with him?"

"I don't think it was him she was after. Blood's been out of town for weeks now. I like to keep an eye on his apartment when he disappears. He owns a lot of mystical things, some of which would be very dangerous in the wrong hands."

"What could she possibly need magical talismans for?"

"Maybe she was hired to steal it. Maybe she's given up on finding a scientific way to change herself back into a human. She wasn't very forthcoming about her reasons."

Diana smirked. "Maybe if you'd asked her nicely. She seemed rather fond of you, _'lover.'_ "

He stoned his mouth, obviously not amused by her attempt at humor. "Why are you here, Diana?"

"I was in the neighborhood."

"I find that hard to believe."

She opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off by a beeping on her Justice League comm-line. Batman heard it too, and activated the channel. "Go ahead, J'onn."

__

"Batman, Diana, I'm receiving an Alert from Metropolis. There's a hostage situation at a LexCorp facility, and with Superman off-planet…"

"We're on our way." Batman told the Martian before closing the line. "I'll get the Batplane."

"There's no time for that," she told him, grabbing him around the waist and lifting him off the roof. "People are in danger."

He didn't argue, much to her surprise, and stayed quiet for the rest of the flight.

***

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To Be Continued…


	2. Oh, Lois!

Standard Disclaimer

7/16/2004: I fixed those errors in this chapter…sorry about that.

Chapter 2: Oh, Lois!

"This is an outrage! I demand you leave here at once!"

"I don't think you understand which one of us has the gun, lady." The new head of LexCorp was flung across the room by one of her masked captors. She crashed unceremoniously into her guests for that evening.

One of said guests helped pull her up. "I have to admit, Mercy, you sure know how to throw an eventful unveiling. Lex would be proud."

Mercy glared at the reporter. "I'm glad this is so amusing to you, Ms. Lane. Not that your attitude surprises me. Now you get another front page exclusive for your newspaper. You're living in some kind of journalistic heaven."

"With all the guns pointed at us in this room, I don't think jokes about heaven are very appropriate," Lois told her dryly.

"Please. You know _you're_ safe. Your boyfriend in blue tights always makes sure of that."

"Hey, Superman makes sure that everyone in this city stays safe." As an afterthought she added, "And he's not my boyfriend."

"At this point, I couldn't care less if you've illegitimately conceived a child with him. Why isn't he here to stop this?"

"My, don't you sing a different tune than Lex. You know, after all the times your press junkets for "new and revolutionary" technologies have been crashed, I'd have thought you'd improve your security measures."

"Lois, do me a favor and shut—"

Mercy was cut off by the sound of crashing glass. She looked over and found herself for the first time grateful at the sight of costumed superheroes. The gunmen didn't look as pleased. They pointed their guns at the room's two new occupants and opened fire.

* * *

Batman ducked and rolled, flinging two batarangs at the masked men. Each came into contact with a gun, knocking it to the ground. Doing a quick survey of the room, he noted seven men total, three of whom were still armed with extra ammo strapped to their black vests. He turned to check on his teammate, whose arms were a blur as she deflected bullets. He'd have to take some of these gunmen out to give her breathing room. Pulling his cape around his body, he charged one of the men from the side. After knocking him down, he used his momentum to back flip and take out two of the unarmed men.

Diana used his slight distraction to push forward and grab the muzzle of one of the guns, crushing it under her grip. She picked up her stunned attacker and threw him back into one of his teammates, who was aiming his Uzi at her. The collision sent both men falling backwards, but not before the gun was fired. The new angle of his hand sent bullets flying into the row of lights above the heads. The metal support rods gave way, and the lights swung down into the curtained walls. The cheap material easily sparked and ignited.

"Get the civilians out of here," Batman yelled to her, seeing the fire spread across the back curtains. He threw the man who ambushed him from the back forward over his head.

"What about you?"

"I can handle myself."

She hesitated before turning to the crowd. Batman surveyed his attackers again, all back on their feet. Seven against one. He liked those odds.

* * *

She bulleted straight through the wall, effectively creating an exit from the burning room. "Everybody, follow me," she ordered the people below her. Few acquiesced, but most stayed, furiously scribbling things down on note pads. Had they not heard her? "You must leave now! You could be hurt in here!"

"They're reporters, they don't care about their own lives. Just about their damn stories."

Diana recognized the shorter woman as the head of LexCorps. "If they won't leave willingly, then I'll just have to carry them out myself."

"Yes, yes. That's fine," Mercy told her uninterestedly, "But you need to save the new Lexosuit. Redesigning that thing has cost my company millions of dollars! It cannot be destroyed."

The reporters weren't the only ones with misguided priorities, Diana realized, but she had few options at this point. "If I get the suit, will you help me get these people out of here?"

"Yes, save the suit and I'll even buy you a whole set of those tiaras."

Diana inwardly grimaced at the materialism that seemed to plague many of the women in man's world. "Alright. Start getting them out of here." She flew towards the back of the building, which was now completely engulfed in flames. Getting lower to avoid the smoke, she squinted to locate the suit. It lay toppled not ten feet from her. One of the masked men was attempting to enter it.

"I don't think so," she said, speeding forward. She pulled him back, and smashed her elbow into his face. He fell to the ground, blood trickling from his nose. Grabbing the suit with her right hand, and the unconscious man with her left, she flew out of the fire and back towards her exit. She flew over Mercy, who'd made little progress in clearing out the reporters. "I kept my end of the bargain," she yelled down, "now keep yours. Get them out of here."

Mercy smirked, but then immediately grabbed two of the men closest to her and pushed them towards the hole in the wall. "You heard Wonder Woman! Move, move, move!"

Confidant that the situation was being taken care of, Diana flew outside to deposit the trash she carried in her arms.

* * *

Batman continued holding this ground against his remaining four--correction, now three--opponents. He'd successfully disarmed them all, but they appeared to have some proficiency in the martial arts. He blocked the punches thrown at him from all directions, and managed to grab the leg of one man as he attempted a front kick. Pushing hard, he sent him flying backwards.

And right to one of the fallen guns. "Damn." The criminal wasted no time in grabbing the weapon and aiming it directly at him.

"Say good night, Bat."

"I don't think it's his bedtime yet." The purple-clad woman swung the loose metal pipe hard, hitting the gunman across the back of the head. He slumped forward, groaning as he grabbed the back of his neck. The violet eyes of the reporter turned to Batman, and then went wide. "Batman, look out!"

He been distracted, and left his back unprotected. The two remaining attackers had seized this opportunity to tackle him, surprising him to the ground. He struggled against their grip, but they held him firmly. From his position, he could only watch as the woman who'd just saved his life was grabbed from behind and thrown down. "Lois!" He relaxed his wrists and then drove them upward, trying to break free of his assailants' grasp. He had to help her.

"You're about to regret interfering," Lois Lane was told by the bloodied man standing above her. He raised his gun and his index finger squeezed the trigger.

Lois closed her eyes, waiting for the bullets to impact her forehead. Instead, she heard the clink of metal on metal, followed by a grunt and a thud. She opened her eyes and was greeted by a pair of star-spangled shorts. "Not the superhero who usually rescues me," she told Wonder Woman, "but thanks."

"Go," Diana instructed her, pointing to the broken wall.

"But Batman—"

Diana didn't listen to the rest of the sentence, before turning and flying to aid her teammate. He'd taken out most of the masked men, but was currently being tag teamed. She'd even those odds. Swooping down, she surprised one of the men with a fist in the face. Batman took out the other one with a kick to his midsection.

He turned to Diana. "I was—"

"—handling it. I know."

"Lois?"

"She's fine. But we have to leave." The flames had engulfed most of the room now, and the structure wasn't going to stay standing much longer.

Grabbing the six remaining (unconscious) gunmen, they exited the burning LexCorps facility.

* * *

"We really appreciate your help. And don't worry, these boys will be off the streets for a long time."

"Is there anything else we can do here?" Diana asked the SCU agent—Maggie Sawyer, she believed her name was.

"The fire's out, the bad guys are booked. I think you took care of everything. Thanks again for all your—damn it, Carr, these barricades are here for a reason!" She left abruptly, stalking off to berate the news anchor and his camera crew.

Diana turned to Batman, who had surprisingly stayed out of the shadows. "I'm glad someone appreciated our help. Mercy Graves threatened to sue the Justice League for property damage five minutes ago."

"You know Mercy, always trying to get more money." They turned as Lois's voice broke into their conversation. Batman (imperceptibly) straightened his back. "Don't worry, she's full of hot air. She'd never be able to take you to court."

"Lois Lane, isn't it?" Diana asked.

"I see my reputation precedes me."

"Superman speaks very highly of you," the Amazon explained, extending her hand. "We've never officially met, though I do tend to see you a lot when there are crises in Metropolis. I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira."

"Oh, believe me, I know who you are too. It's nice to finally meet the woman I've written so much about."

"This," Diana said, indicating her companion, "is Batman." She knew he liked to limit his communication with the public as much as possible, but she'd force him to make an exception this time. Lois had saved him that night, after all.

The reaction she got surprised her.

"We've met," Lois said softly, fixing her attention on the Dark Knight. "How are you? It's been a long time since we talked."

"Things have been busy," he said neutrally, but Diana couldn't help but feel uncomfortably like a third wheel.

"I guess that's how it is when you're a superhero, huh?"

"It comes with the territory, yes." He paused. "I have to get back to Gotham. Wonder Woman?"

He was using her to beg out of this conversation. She found herself glad. "Yes, of course. Lois, it was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. And Batman," she hesitated, trying to find the right words, "it was…it was really good seeing you again."

"Stay out of trouble, Ms. Lane," he said formally before nodding to Diana. She slid her arm under his cape and picked him up, lifting them into the air and away from the reporter.

Diana stole quick glances at Batman's face, before mustering enough nerve to talk to him. "You care about her. You try to hide it, but I can tell."

He didn't speak for a while, and she thought he was going to ignore her for the entire flight. But finally, his deep voice cut through the silence. "It was a long time ago," he told her with a finality that closed the matter.

For the first time, Diana felt the nauseating grip of jealousy creep into her stomach.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

AN2: This chapter's title comes from Michael Daugherty's "Metropolis Symphony" orchestration. Track 4 is called "Oh, Lois!" and was playing on repeat for the writing of this chapter. If you haven't heard "Metropolis Symphony," I suggest you get you're hands on this CD. It is amazing (my favorite track is Bizzaro—it's one of the best compositions I've ever heard. Ever.)


	3. Betty and Veronica

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Standard Disclaimer

AN: Thanks for all the reviews :) I went back and I think I caught all the typos in the previous parts. Sorry about that. Anyway, here's chapter 3…hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Betty and Veronica

***

He began beeping as they flew over the suburbs of Gotham City. Taping a device on his glove, he said, "Go ahead, Alfred."

__

"Pardon me for interrupting, sir, but you have a telephone call from Ms. Davis."

Batman frowned. "Can you take a message?"

__

"No sir, she's quite insistent on talking to you personally."

"Then tell her I'll call her back tomorrow."

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"I tried to sir, but she didn't seem to believe me when I told her you were in a meeting. If you're not too busy at the moment, may I suggest you take this phone call?"

He sighed, casting a quick glance at his current travel companion. She'd been observing him during the conversation, but turned her gaze forward to give him more privacy. "Fine, put her through."

__

"Very good, sir." The line clicked, and Alfred's calm voice was replaced with a much higher, much shriller one."

__

"Well, Bruce, aren't you just the hardest working man in Gotham."

"Betty, I'm sorry I couldn't call you myself to cancel our plans, but you know the business world. Always moving." The change in the consistency of his voice had startled Diana into looking at him again. She wasn't yet used to the different inflections of Bruce Wayne and Batman.

__

"I'm so sure Bruce Wayne. That's four times you've stood me up now."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I've heard that before. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me five times, shame on me. If you're not going to take me seriously, Bruce, don't bother calling."

"Well, if that's the way you feel..."

Her indignant scream was loud enough for even Diana to hear. 

__

"I don't know why Veronica thinks you're such a good person! The way she was gushing about you, I'd have thought I was being set up with Superman. Sure you can be charming when you try, but there's not much else to you, is there? Well, I'm cutting my losses right now. Four cancelled first dates? I can take a hint. Good night and good bye."

The dial tone echoed loudly in his year, and he closed the line. 

"You had plans for tonight?" Diana asked. 

"Had, yes."

"Oh… " she trailed off, seemingly confused. 

"What?"

"Nothing. I just thought that we…never mind." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry that your evening didn't go as planned."

"In this line of work, it's something I've gotten used to. My 'nightlife' isn't conducive to socialization."

She was once again confused. This time, because of the apathy in his voice. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" 

"Doesn't it bother you that your…girlfriend just ended your relationship?"

"She wasn't my girlfriend. She was just a woman that I was seeing."

Diana frowned. "I'm not sure I see the difference."

"Relationships here can be…complicated."

"Believe me, Batman, I've learned that. I just don't understand why."

He wasn't about to get into the nuances of dating with her. "No one does. You just accept it and move on."

"Sounds like you're very experienced in doing so."

"Like I said, when you do what I do..." He tried to give his comment a note of finality. He didn't like the personal turn this conversation had taken.

"I don't believe you." 

She never liked making things easy for him. "I don't know why you wouldn't."

"I've heard that Bruce Wayne is quite the socialite. Especially when it comes to women."

He raised an eyebrow under his cowl. "And where would you have heard that?"

She seemed hesitant, almost embarrassed to tell him. "There are some rumors…"

"I didn't think you'd be one to listen to rumors, Diana."

"I'm not. If I did, I'd think Batman was a cold and heartless psychopath."

"Is that what they say about me?" He asked dryly.

"Like I said, there are some rumors…but I know that there's no truth to them. You portray yourself as cold, unemotional, uncaring…but none of that is real."

He remained silent, unsure where she was going with this.

"You are one of the most noble and compassionate men I've met. You goals, your values…even the Amazons would honor you for the courage and bravery of your cause." She paused, and finished more quietly, "I know that I honor you for it."

She'd effectively floored him, something that he never let happen. He wasn't sure what to say to her, so he settled for a long silence.

"I've made you uncomfortable," she said apologetically. 

"No," he informed her firmly. "No, you haven't. And just so we're clear, I respect your courage and bravery" and spirit and beauty and passion "too."

They looked at each other, and he was suddenly aware of how close their bodies were. Suddenly aware of how close their faces were. Suddenly aware that he shouldn't even be aware of these things. He broke their stare first, looking down into the lights of downtown Gotham. "The Batmobile is parked down there. In that alley." He needed to ground himself again.

She lowered them to where he'd indicated, not pressing the conversation further. The sleek black car was there, sure enough, hidden in the shadows. She wondered how he was so confident about leaving it unattended in a city with a rather high crime rate. But then again, there was probably no one foolish enough to mess with Batman's car.

He activated a small device on his utility belt, and the car automatically pulled up in front of them. Turning to her, needing something to cap this evening, he said "Earlier tonight…with Cheetah. Thanks for your help."

"Of course." She smiled slightly as he pressed another button to retract the front covering of the vehicle. "Well, I suppose I'd better go then…I'll see you at the Watchtower tomor—" she stopped mid-word after the cover of the Batmobile had pulled back completely.

Batman turned back to his car to see what had caused her surprise. In the front passenger seat, was a petite black-clad woman. She pushed herself up out of her seat when she knew she had his attention and threw her arms around his neck. "Happy anniversary, darling," Catwoman said, before pushing her mouth to his.

***

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To Be Continued…


	4. Cat's Cradle

Standard Disclaimer

AN: I have to say thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story and kept encouraging me to write. It really motivated me to get of my butt (or rather, get back on my butt) and start typing. I'll do a reviews section at the end. Also, seems to have outlawed asterisks, so I have to use bars. Formatting nightmare. Oh well, here it is, chapter 4.

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Chapter 4: Cat's Cradle

Kissing Selina Kyle wasn't a new experience for him. He'd done it numerous times, both as Bruce Wayne and Batman. His first impulse, as it always was with her, was to kiss back. But he never worked on impulses. And he hated being surprised.

He grabbed her arms to pull her away from him. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who'd had this idea.

Catwoman let out a small gasp as she was yanked backwards and up. Batman tilted his head back to see Selina suspended in mid-air by the same lasso that had subdued Cheetah. Diana was hovering a few feet above, gripping the golden ends, a frown etched onto her mouth. _Damn it._

"What the hell are you doing?" Selina yelled up to her captor

"I won't stand by while my teammate is being attacked."

"Attacked?" Selina laughed as she grabbed the lasso above her head. "You really are from an island with no men." She pulled hard on the rope.

Diana held firm. "You can struggle, but it'll do you no good. This lasso was forged from the gold of Olympus and cannot be broken."

"Oh, I'm not trying to break it," Catwoman said, extending her petite legs forward, backward and then forward again. The pensile rope moved back and forth with her actions, providing her with the momentum she needed to swing upward. She pointed her toes, and before Diana could react, she delivered a kick to her midsection. The force of the impact caused Wonder Woman to drop the ends she was holding.

With the lasso still attached around her waist, Catwoman curled herself into a small ball, preparing to flip and then gracefully land on the ground. A cat always landed on its feet. Before she was able to execute her maneuver, however, the lasso constricted against her stomach, and she felt her torso jerk upwards again. Casting a glance behind her, she saw Wonder Woman once again holding the end of the rope.

"You recover fast," Selina told her, "but don't worry, I've got plenty more where that came fro--"

"Enough!" Both women looked away from each other and back to the man they'd forgotten on the ground. His face was hard, and his mouth a thin line. "Diana, put her down."

Wonder Woman's mouth flew open, while Selina folded her arms and smirked. "You heard the man, _Diana_. Down I go."

Diana ignored her. "But she's a common criminal!"

"Common?" Selina uncrossed her arms and bared her razor sharp fingernails. "I ought to tear a hole in your--"

"I said enough," Batman growled again. "Diana, let her go. She not here to fight." He gave Selina a pointed look, warning her against trying anything.

Diana glared at him, looking like she was going to argue. Instead, she slackened her hold, and let the lasso drop Selina to the ground. Catwoman landed lightly, yanking the rope from around her body and tossing it back up to Diana. The Amazon caught it and refastened it to her waist as she landed behind Selina.

"Why are you here, Selina?"

"Can't a girl just drop in to say hello?" She leaned casually against the Batmobile.

He wondered how she'd been able to get into the vehicle again. He'd increased its security features the last time she'd done so, but apparently not enough. Selina always found a way to breach his defenses; he fluctuated between liking and hating her for that. "No."

She frowned at him. "Always the pessimist." One side of her mouth slowly lifted. "That's what I love about you. It keeps me honest."

"How wonderful for you." Diana placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyebrows.

Catwoman glared at Diana, and then back at Batman. "Where'd you pick her up?" She asked, jerking a thumb in Wonder Woman's direction. "Ms. America swimsuit cont--?"

"Why are you here?" Batman interrupted. Allowing Diana to be further taunted would not be a good idea.

Selina pushed her hips off the Batmobile first, cocking her head to the side. "I already told you." Pulling the rest of her body off the car, she stepped lightly towards Batman, gently leaning against him once at his side. She put her left arm around his neck, and gently traced the bat on his chest with her right. "It's our anniversary. Seven years ago today, was the first time we met."

Batman's mouth stayed in a firm line. "You were trying to steal something, and I was trying to stop you."

"See, you do remember," she purred. "I guess it was burned into your mind too. We always were quite the pair, weren't we? Two lovers, trapped on opposite sides of the law, both fighting for justice. It's quite poetic, don't you think?" She tilted her head, looking back at Diana with a slight smile on her face.

Diana hands remained on her hips, and she ignored Catwoman's grin. "We should take her to the police," she told Batman forcefully.

"No."

"No?" Both women asked simultaneously. Catman's surprise melted into a smile, Diana's into a frown.

"She hasn't done anything wrong."

Diana met the hard slits in his cowl. "Yet."

"She won't do anything wrong."

"You can be so sure about that?"

"Yes."

His tone was so confident, so final, that Diana could think of little to say in rebuttal. It made her blood boil. "Fine." She uncrossed her arms and fisted them at her side. "I should go. You seem to have everything under control here." She turned sharply on the heel of her boot, ready to life herself off the ground.

"Diana." She turned to look at him from her position three feet off the ground. He didn't speak again, and if she hadn't known any better, show would have thought he was unsure of what else to say.

Finally, he nodded to her. She wasn't sure what to make of this gesture, but she found herself slowly nodding back. Her early anger dissipated as she looked at him for reasons she wasn't completely sure of. "I'll keep my comm open. Contact me if you need anything." She took one last look at Catwoman, who had unwrapped herself from Batman and was now standing on her own. She couldn't help the small frown that tugged at her lips.

* * *

Catwoman watched the retreating back of the Amazon with slightly raised eyebrows. Through the corner of her eye she could tell that Batman was doing the same. Well, this was certainly a new development.  
  
She turned her body to face him, hands placed gently at her hips. "She doesn't really seem your type." Her voice didn't sound as indifferent as she hoped it would.  
  
He didn't answer her, but she hadn't really expected him to. That was the dichotomy of their relationship. They were close, but not ever personal.   
  
"Selina." His voice was pointed. This was a question and warning rolled into one.  
  
She raised her hands in mock capitulation. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be on my best behavior." She crossed her pinky over her heart. "I promise, nothing funny."  
  
He looked at her for a second, and then nodded.   
  
"I have information...sort of."  
  
"Sort of."  
  
"It's nothing concrete, but I thought you should know about it. Think of it as an anniversary present."  
  
He nodded again, before glancing quickly at the alley they still stood in. "Not here. Let's go."   
  
She felt the fabric of his cape brush against her body as he moved quickly towards the sleek car behind them. The touch was gentle, subtle, just like it always had been. The contact made her body tingle, and she closed her eyes slightly at the pleasant feeling.  
  
"Get in." His gruff order forced her back into reality. He was already seated in the driver's seat, and was watching her, waiting for her to sit too.  
  
She smirked and lightly lifted herself over the passenger side door and into the black leather chair. "I like this, is it new?" she asked, patting the upholstery.  
  
He closed the over-hatch and gunned the accelerator.

* * *

"There's been a lot of talk recently. Underground. " She had her legs curled under her so that she could face him as she spoke. Her head rested against her gloved palm.   
  
"About?"  
  
"Big jobs. People are being hired out. A lot of money is being put down, apparently."  
  
"What are these jobs? Burglaries? Assassinations?"

She shrugged. "I wish I knew, but for some reason I'm being kept out of the loop. I've got a gut feeling though…they're not out for lives. It's a material thing."

The slits in his cowl narrowed, and she could practically hear the gears in his head turning.

"Why would they try to keep this from you?"

"I couldn't really figure it out at first either. I'm not much of a freelancer, so I wasn't too worried. But then it became obvious that they were purposely trying to prevent information from reaching me. And after thinking about it, there was only one good reason I could come up with."

"Me," he concluded, filling the last piece in for her.  
  
She nodded. "Involving me would be a direct link to Batman." She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Having your personal attachments smeared across Gotham's crime district can be bad for business. Especially if the attachment is you." She rolled her neck to look at him. His face was forward, unresponsive. "Not that I'm complaining," she amended, even though she'd failed to get a rise out of him, again. Picking at the fabric of her jumpsuit, she found herself wishing for their relationship to be what it used to be. He used to enjoy playing the game. Now...she couldn't really tell if he was still playing or not.

"That's what's got you so interested, isn't it? A crime spree you can't be a part of."

His sudden speech startled her. She pushed herself straighter in the chair, feeling more than a little defensive. "Hey, I'm good at what I do. And I do feel like my toes are being stepped on here."

"You never used to care about being a hired gun, Selina. You used to have a cause." He's voice was stiff and factual, but he might as well have been scolding her like a little girl.

"You have no right to judge me. Just save those morals you like to dish out for Robin or Nightwing. I don't need them. I have my own reasons for doing what I do. So don't talk to me like I've sold out, because you don't even _know_ me." Her words had become more heated than she'd intended, but she hadn't been able to help herself. He just had a way of pushing her as of late. She hated that this is what they'd become.

He was quiet for a long time, and she though that that would be the end of the conversation. But his deep voice cut through the silence. "You're right," he confirmed with quiet intensity, "These days, I don't know you." And before she had time to process what he said, he changed the subject. "I'll check my sources, see if they've got anything."  
  
She shook her head, slightly stunned. "Somebody's going through an awful lot of trouble to keep the details quiet. I don't think you're going to have much luck." Her voice was as low as his.  
  
For the first time during the ride, he turned and looked at her. "You have a plan." It wasn't a question.  
  
She smiled hesitantly, extending the proverbial olive branch. "More like a lead. I think I know two people who are involved. Maybe we should go pay them a visit?"   
  
"I think that's a good idea."  
  
"Just like old times, huh?" She smiled at him again, trying to push the tension in the car away. Trying to make things normal between them again, like they used to be. "Head towards the south end. Brightmeyer Avenue, I think."  
  
He frowned, and she knew that he was making the connection. "The old greenhouse."  
  
"Wonder what the girls could be up to in there."  
  
He tightened his grip on his steering yoke.

* * *

**To Be Continued** in "Harley and Ivy, Part 1"  
  
**AN2:** You know, I just cannot apologize enough to everyone who's been reading this story. I just can't. I've been slacking, and that's why there was no update for a million years. But I finally sat down and got this chapter out. Now don't yell at Selina for chasing Diana away, it had to be done for a little while. She's got to get her Bat time in too ;o). But the Amazon will be back, that's for sure. So tell me what you think! 

Review Responses:

E.M. Noel: Haha, yeah, Bruce is one talented man…he can bag movie stars from the 50s! Lol. Thanks for reading!

DoubleL27: Yeah, Catwoman is fun to write. She can really get Brucey all flustered. But that's not to say that Diana's isn't equally talented in doing that. Poor guy! But I decided to flesh out the Bat/Cat relationship for a bit…they'd hit quite a bump in the road when the New Animated Series took off, but it was never really resolved.

Spiderbob: Thank you very much! Well, there was a TNAS episode in which CW had broken into the Batmobile to wait for Bats. I don't know how she managed that, but the woman has skill ;o).

Batman's Kawaii Sex-kitten, TallieCat, ZL2, Brutal2003, Angelic Temptress, enfant-terrible, bob, -, s3lina k1le, antisocial mint, sweety, phantasm, knight's shadow, jypsee, hermaria, and every one else who reviewed: Thanks for reading guys, I'm sorry it took so long to update.

LadyVader5: Well, I would love to see an all out fight between Cats and Wondy (I think there may have been a comic about that too). That would be great. But for the purposes of my story, I couldn't let them tussle too much. Neither they, nor Bats would have allowed it to go on for too long. But hopefully that mini-fight was enough ;o). It sure was fun to write.

Mars2916: I got hooked on JL because of Bats and Wondy. I loved their little game in "Maid of Honor." But as a TAS fan too, I can see the appeal of BM/CW. I think these two will always care about each other. That isn't always enough to make a relationship work though…and the series never gave us any real closure. How will everything play out in my story? Well, you'll have to wait and see ;o).

Miguel Dubón: I'm glad it made you smile. When I first started thinking about all of Batman's love interests in just the cartoon, I couldn't help but laugh. He's a pimp. But what if he ran into all those women at about the same time, while he was with another woman that he cared for? And thus this story was born. I hope you liked this chapter too, and sorry it took so long!

Ambrosia: Yikes…thanks for catching those mistakes. I must apologize for them. I try to weed out all the grammar/spelling errors, but I'm prone to brain flubs. Hopefully, I got all of them this time. And I'm glad you like the angle I'm going for…it's a lot of fun to write!

MadMaddie: Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you liked it. The plotline was actually inspired by a post I made at JLUniverse. We were all recounting Batman's many women, and I thought it'd be hilarious if all his girls showed up one night, when he was out with his new girl. Arti told me to write it, and…I did. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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